High Court Votes Campaign Contribution Bill Unconstitutional

In a 5 to 4 decision, the Supreme Court today struck down the famed McCain-Feingold bill and with it, the notion that the government may ban political spending by corporations in candidate elections. The majority touted the decision as one in favor of the First Amendment's promise of free political speech as Justice Kennedy stated, "When government seeks to use its full power, including the criminal law, to command where a person may get his or her information or what distrusted source he or she may not hear, it uses censorship to control thought. This is unlawful. The First Amendment confirms the freedom to think for ourselves.” The minority, Stevens, Ginsburg, Sotomayor, and Breyer, dissented (90-pages worth), and Obama echoed their sentiments that the decision will usher in "a new stampede of special interest money in our politics" and is "a major victory for big oil, Wall Street banks (many of whom supported him in 08), health insurance companies and the other powerful interests that marshal their power every day in Washington to drown out the voices of everyday Americans." With that, Obama pledged to talk to Congress "to develop a forceful response," whatever that means. What does this mean for you? It doesn't mean much as our politicians are already beholden to special interests and McCain-Feigold did nothing to eradicate that reality. However, the decision should be celebrated as a victory for free speech and individualism, as we saw in Massachusetts, most Americans still want to think for themselves.